Valve-controlling mechanism for automatic water-heaters.



N No. 760,387. Patented my 20; I902.

J. TRACY &.w. A. BOLLINGER. VALVE CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WATERH'EATERS.

A lication filed Apxn 13, 1901.

(No Model.)

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W/TNESSES: 2% 0 2 VAT OHNEY THE NORRIS PETERS 00,. PHOTOLITHOVI WAQRINGYUNL D. C.

UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE."

JAMES .TRAOY AND WILLIAM A. BOLLINGER, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNsYL+ VANIA, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT; A D MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE STERLING AUTOMATIC INsTANTA EoUs WATER HEATER 00., OF AL- LEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

VALVE-CONTROLLING MECHANlSiM FOB AUTOMATIC WATER- EATERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,387, dated May 20, 1902v Application filed April 1 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, JAMES TRACY and WIL- LIAM A..BOLLINGER, citizens ofthe United States of America, residing at Allegheny, inthe county of Allegheny and State of Penn-' sylvania, have invented certain new and iIseful Improvements in VaIVe-OOntroIlingMechanisrn for Automatic Water-Heaters and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements ina valve controlling mechanism for automatic water-heaters, the object thereof being to provide a means whereby the opening of the fau cetion the water-supply line will automatically increase the flow of gas to the burner, thereby heating the water as it circulates.

through the coil in said supply-line, and a means for automatically closing off or reducing to a minimum such gas-supply when said faucet is closed.

In the accompanying drawings we have fully illustrated the construction and opera-,

enlarged vertical side elevation of a portion'of the valve-stem with water-inletand gas valve thereon. Fig. 4 is an enlarged inverted plan View of the water-inlet valve. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View through said valve. Fig. 6 is a plan View of the valve-controlling lever. Fig. 7 ma side view of the pivoting-link for said lever. Fig. 8 is a view of the screw for connecting said linkto the lever. Fig. 9 is an enlarged end view of the device in section on the line X X of Fig. 1.

In said drawings the numeral 1 indicates a water-supply line having a suitable heatingcoil 2, connected therein. 3 indicates a gassupply line having connected thereon a suit- Serial No. 55,621. (No model.)

lates through said coil, said coil and burner being usually inclosed within a casing; butas these parts are old and well knownin the art and of many forms they are shown in the simplest form and but briefly alluded to for the purpose of illustrating the application of our device in connection with such apparatuses.

Our valve-controlling mechanism consists of a chamber-casing 5, havingthe tubular extensions 6 and 7 thereon, whichcommunicate with said chamber and are'adapted to be connected with the water-line. Connected to the lower end of said chamber is the gas-valve chamber 8, which is adapted'to be connected in the gas supply line. Arranged in said chambers is the valve stem, or rod'9, having at its lower end the valve 10 for engaging the valve-seat 11 in the gas-chamber. Nearthe center of said valve stem or rod is arranged a water-inlet valve composed of the two cupshaped members 12 and 14, which are fitted within each other, said member 12 having in its side wall the ports 13 andthe member 14 the ports 15, which are adapted to fully or partly register with one another, and thus increase or diminish the quantity of water passing therethrough. Formedupon and com- Inunicating with the said extension 6 is the small chamber 16, into which is fitted a piston 17 upon a rod 18, this chamber being about one-half the diameter of the aforesaid main chamber 1. Ata point about midway between said chambers on the upper side of said extension 6 is formed a lug 19, having an elongated slot 20 therein. This lug has pivoted thereto bya screw 21 the link 22, which is provided at its upper end with a square opening 23. A lever 24, to engage the upper ends of the piston and valve-stem, is'rigidly secured to the upper end of said link by a square-shouldered bolt 26 engaging into the aforesaid link-opening 23 and the elongated opening 25 of the lever.

In the views shown at Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the gas and water-inlet valves are closed, and it is to be assumed that provision is made for a pilot-light for igniting the gas when turned on, which provision may be accomplished by permitting a minute quantity of gas to leak through the gas-valve when closed or by securing suficient gas from the line at the chamber to maintain such light, either way being common to the trade.

The operation of our valve controlling mechanism when applied to the gas and water supply lines of a water-heater with pilotlight would be as follows: NVhen the faucet on water-supply is opened, the normal pressure of the water on the under side of the water-inlet valve being greater than that between said valve and faucet acts upon said valve, forcing it upward and allowing the water to pass through the ports 13 and circulate through the coil. The lifting of this valve simultaneously raises the gas-valve, permitting an increased flow of gas to the burner, thereby heating the water as it circulates in the coil. Again, when said valves are raised the stem thereof acts upon the lever 24 and depresses the small piston 17 to such distance that the bottom thereof will be about on a line with the waterway in the extension, so as not to interfere with the flow of water. When the faucet is closed, the back pressure acting upon the piston 17 overbalances the pressure upon the water-inlet valve, causing the piston to raise, and through the medium of the lever 2i closes said water-inlet and gas valves.

In some places where water heaters are used the water-pressure varies, and to provide for such cases the point at which the lever 24 is pivoted may be adjusted through the medium of the elongated slots 20 and 25 and the link connection. Again, it will be found necessary in some instances to increase or decrease the flow of Water passing through the ports in the inlet-valve 12. This may readily be accomplished by adjusting the valve member 1* so as to fully open or partly close said ports, as circumstance may require. The water-controlling valve may be adjusted longitudinally on the stem to in crease or decrease the lift of the gas-controlling valve, thereby increase or decrease the flow of gas.

Variations as to detail construction may be made without departing from the principles employed in said mechanism.

WVhen the ports of the outer and inner members of the hollow cup-shaped pistons are fully in register with each other, the combined outlet area of the piston is considerably in excess of the area of the opening through the outlet extension 6. It will be obvious that the lifting action of the Water upon the piston will cease when the piston has been elevated to the place at which the combined area of the exposed portions of the outlet-ports is equal to said area of the outlet extension. Hence it will be seen that when the members of the piston are adjusted to bring their ports fully into register with each other said piston will not be raised as high as it will be when the ports are partially closed. The extent of opening of the gas-valve is of course dependent upon the extent of travel of the piston, and for this reason and if there be a low pressure in the gas-main the valve when the ports of the piston are fully registered with each other may not be lifted far enough from its seat topcrmit a sufficient quantity of gas to flow to the burner for the best results. By adjusting the outer member of the piston relatively to the inner member thereof it will be seen that the area of the ports therein arereduced, thus increasing the travel of said piston, and consequently increasing the travel of the valve, to accord with the requirements under the particular gas-pressure to which the gas-valve is subjected.

We have hereinabove described a threaded connection of the piston with the rod. By such connection the outer member may be readily adjusted and in its adjustments has two distinct movements simultaneously-a rotatable and a rising movement-relative to the inner member, thus changing the longitudinal and transverse sizes of the ports at the same time, and thereby effecting a change in the area of said ports with maximum rapidity. Moreover, said threaded connection assists the lock-nut 9 in securing the adjustable member fixedly in its adjusted position. We do not wish, however, to be understood as limiting ourselves to this particular connection, as any connection of the rod with the piston members by which a relative adjustment of said members maybe effected for the purposes hereinabove stated and any suitable means for locking the piston or the adjustable member thereof fixedly in adjusted position may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A ported water-controlling piston such as above described would not be closed by back pressure acting directly thereon, for the reason that the water would be free to circulate through the ports without meeting any resistance, or, in other words, the water-pressure is equal on both sides of the piston. Mechanism for returning the piston and gas-valve to their respective seats when the faucet is closed therefore becomes essential. The mechanism hereinabove described for this purpose, comprehending a piston exposed to back pressure and connected with said hollow ported piston by means which causes said piston to be operated simultaneously in reverse directions and each from the other, is well adapted for the purpose stated, as the back water-pressure in the outlet extension 6 or the sudden increase in pressure created when the faucet is closed will act upon said piston exposed thereto and force the same upward, thereby closing the ported piston and gas-valve and holding the same closed until said faucet is again opened. Furthermore, the closing means hereinabove' described includes a link which is adjustable and upon which the lever is fulcru med, whereby the fulcrum-point of the lever is adjustable. This is of advan- ITO "pressure is present than when the tage, for the reason that in some lines the water-pressure is high andin others low, and it therefore becomes important to adjust the power exerted by the lever to the power which it is intended to overcome. Obviously the link will be adjusted to place the fulcrumpoint nearer the ported piston when .high pressure of water and gas-is low. 3

Having thus fully shown and described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In awater-heater, the combination with a casing having gas inlet and outlet and water inlet and outlet, of a valve controllingcommunication between the gas inlet and outlet,

a ported hollow piston seated between the water inlet and outlet and controlling communication'between the same through its ports,

said valve and piston being connected to move in unison and said piston being exposed to and moved from its seat by, avpreponderance of water-pressure on one of its sides to thereby open the gas-valve and alsoestablish communication between the water inlet and outlet, a second piston, arranged on the outlet side of the'first piston so as to be actuated in one direction by back pressure,'a lever connected with said second piston and with the first piston and valve, and anadjustable fulcrum for said lever. v

2. In a water-heater, the combination with a casing having gas inlet and outlet and water inlet and outlet, and a valve controlling communication between the gasinlet and outlet, of a ported hollow piston arranged between the Water inlet and outlet and controlling communication between the same through its ports, said piston being connected with said valve and exposed to and operated in one direction by the water-pressure thereunder, a chamber arranged on the outlet side of said piston, a piston in said chamber exposed to and operated in one direction by the back pressure, and a connection between said pistons where by they are caused to operate simultaneously and in reverse directions. v

3. In a water-heater, thecombination with a casing having a gas inlet and outlet-and a Water inletand outlet, of a valve controlling' communication between said gas inlet and outlet, a piston connected withisaid valve and controlling communication between the waterinlet and outlet, said piston having a lateral port through which said communication takes place and embracing means by which the size of the port is adjusted to there having lateral ports and embracing means for adjusting the sizes of its ports to thereby determine the extent of movement of said piston and valve and. controlling communication betwcen the-water'inlet and. outlet through said ports, and a returning meansv for said pistonand ivalve,said' returning means acting in opposition to the mainzwaterpressure to which said piston is exposed.

5. In a water-heater, the combinationwith a casing having a gas inlet and outlet and a water-inlet and outlet, a valve controlling communication between said gas inlet and outlet, and a stem carrying" said valve and projecting therefrom into the space between said water inlet and outlet, of a'piston attached-to said stem'and-operating in said space so as to control communication between arranged to be exposed to main pressure'and comprising two hollow cup-shaped members each provided with ports and attached to said stem and having a relative adjustment of its members on said stem by which the size of the portsmay be changed and the extent of movement of the stemvaried, means for .85 said water inlet and outlet, said piston being fixing the piston in adjusted position onsaid stem, and means controlled by back pressure for lowering said stem and thereby returning said piston and valve to their respective seats.

6. In a water-heater, the combination with nication between said water inlet and outlet, Y

said piston being arranged to be exposed to main pressure and comprising two cup-shaped members, each having lateral ports, one of said members being arranged within the other and both having their closed upper ends threaded upon said stem, and means controlled by back pressurefor lowering said stem and thereby returning saidpiston and valve to their respective seats.

a casing having gas inlet andoutlet and water inlet and outlet, and a valve controlling communication between the gas inlet and out= let, of a stem carrying said valve and projecting therefrom into the space between thewater inlet and outlet, a piston attached to said stem and operating in said space so as to con- IIO trol communication between said water inlet the stem varied, means for fixing'the piston in adjusted position on said stem, andmeans controlled by back pressure for lowering said I r 5 7. In a water-heater, the combination with a stem and thereby returning said piston and valve to their respective seats, said returning means comprising a piston arranged on the water-outlet side of the ported piston so as to be exposed to back pressure in advance of said ported piston, and a connection between said pistons whereby they are caused to operate simultaneously and in reverse directions, one from the other.

8. In a water-heater, the combination with a casing having tubular extensions adapted for connection with inlet and outlet waterpipes and provided with a piston-seat between said extensions, a gas-chamber fitted to said casing below the inlet to said casing and having an inlet and an outlet, a valve in said chamber for controlling communication between the inlet and outlet of said gas-chainber, a rod carrying said valve and projecting through said casin g to a place above the same, a hollow ported piston attached to said stein and controllingcommunication between said tubular extension through its ports, a chamber applied to the outlet extension, a piston in said chamber having a stern projecting through .the same, a lug upon said extension having an elongated slot, a lever having its ends engaged with said rod and stem and provided with an elongated slot between its ends, a link upon which said lever is pivoted, and means cooperating with said slots in the lug and lever for attaching said link adjustably thereto.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto affixed our signatures in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES TRACY. WM. A. BOLLINGER.

Witnesses:

' W. SCHNEIDER,

B. IIAMMERLE. 

